  Yvette248 Member Username: Yvette248 Post Number: 937 Registered: 10-2006 |
I didn't know about this..... Beaner's Coffee, based in East Lansing, Mich., on Friday informed franchisees and employees at its 77 stores in Michigan and eight other states that it would become Biggby Coffee, effective Jan. 31. "That just doesn't really fall within our mission to have a name that is derogatory," Bob Fish, 44, Beaner's chief executive, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "We felt it was important to do the right thing and change the name." According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term was preceded by "bean-eater," a slur against Latin-Americans, particularly Mexicans. | ||
Thejesus Member Username: Thejesus Post Number: 2123 Registered: 06-2006 |
Next up...Cracker Barrel | ||
Jazzstage Member Username: Jazzstage Post Number: 107 Registered: 08-2007 |
And I always thought beaners was a drug term for marijuana seeds. Who knew? | ||
Michmeister Member Username: Michmeister Post Number: 248 Registered: 10-2006 |
Let`s go for a soda at crackers. | ||
Yvette248 Member Username: Yvette248 Post Number: 940 Registered: 10-2006 |
Good one, thejesus. I cracked up laughing! | ||
Paulmcall Member Username: Paulmcall Post Number: 407 Registered: 05-2004 |
Maybe they felt people might think it was Mexican coffee. | ||
Dougw Member Username: Dougw Post Number: 1889 Registered: 11-2003 |
Have to admit I've never heard the term "beaner" used as a slur... maybe it's a regional (southwestern US) thing? | ||
Focusonthed Member Username: Focusonthed Post Number: 1313 Registered: 02-2006 |
Biggby? lol wtf. | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 1954 Registered: 11-2003 |
Does this mean that Billy Frogg's Bar and Grill in Omaha, Nebraska will have to change its name as not being sensitive to the French? Limey's restaurant in Sheffield, MA will probably be next. I draw the line at Jjaba's Place in South Maui, Hawaii. | ||
Patrick Member Username: Patrick Post Number: 4932 Registered: 10-2003 |
How about all the Honky Tonks around the country? There has to be several dozen bars with the word "Honky" (as in Honky Tonk)in the title. Hilarious. | ||
Texorama Member Username: Texorama Post Number: 59 Registered: 12-2006 |
Oddly enough, "honky tonk" as a bar/venue appears to predate "honky" as a term of ethnic endearment, and thus to be probably unrelated to it. See Nick Tosches's great book on country music, where he quotes a newspaper from 1894 that uses "honk-a-tonk." As for Beaner's, I would have gone with "Full of Beans" if I were them. | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 5347 Registered: 08-2004 |
While he's trying to be politically correct, that Bob Fish guy should change his last name as well... "Fish" is a derogatory term in the gay community... | ||
Jazzstage Member Username: Jazzstage Post Number: 109 Registered: 08-2007 |
Gistok, That stinks. | ||
Granmontrules Member Username: Granmontrules Post Number: 164 Registered: 01-2007 |
I guess I am behind in my racial slurs...I never knew that? Glad they are doing the right thing. But "Cracker" Barrel really does fit! haha | ||
Ladyinabag Member Username: Ladyinabag Post Number: 322 Registered: 03-2007 |
This has got to be the dumbest thing that I have ever heard. This guy is drinking too much coffee. Either this or he is so one-dimensional that he is reaching. | ||
Jams Member Username: Jams Post Number: 6187 Registered: 10-2003 |
Since I grew up in SWD, I heard that slur used all my life. I was very surprised to see it as the name for the chain, I never went into one because of that name. | ||
Shark Member Username: Shark Post Number: 284 Registered: 12-2003 |
The vast majority of people have never heard of that as a racial slur. Even if people had heard "beaner" used as a rude term, anyone with a brain knows that the coffee shop was named Beaners because coffee comes from beans. Beaners changing their name is essentially a validation of that word as a slur. | ||
Jams Member Username: Jams Post Number: 6191 Registered: 10-2003 |
Your point? Remember "Sambo's" before the name change to "Denny's"? | ||
Shark Member Username: Shark Post Number: 285 Registered: 12-2003 |
I made my point Jams. | ||
East_detroit Member Username: East_detroit Post Number: 1202 Registered: 11-2003 |
Denny's bought 800 Sambo's restaurants as they were going out of business, but Sambo's did not change their name to Denny's. | ||
Hooha Member Username: Hooha Post Number: 148 Registered: 06-2005 |
Honestly, the only time I've heard beaner used as a slur is by Carlos Mencia. And with how often he uses it, you think it'd be socially acceptable by now. This is just Beaners being proactive and avoiding some headaches in the future. | ||
Jams Member Username: Jams Post Number: 6192 Registered: 10-2003 |
I'll accept that. I never heard of Denny's prior to the opening in AP on Southfield, loved the Denny's Deluxe with a Kona coffee after a night at Maury's. I had been told that "Sambo's" became "Denny's' years ago, I never looked further into it. Despite that, to a portion of the population, "Beaners" is a derogatory name, and I, for one, am glad the corporation addressed it. | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 3273 Registered: 12-2005 |
This thread is more fun than a barrel of crackers.  | ||
Perfectgentleman Member Username: Perfectgentleman Post Number: 2801 Registered: 03-2006 |
quote: LOL | ||
Viziondetroit Member Username: Viziondetroit Post Number: 1106 Registered: 11-2003 |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S ambo%27s | ||
Ddmoore54 Member Username: Ddmoore54 Post Number: 331 Registered: 07-2004 |
I've had friends come visit from out west and want to take pictures with the Beaners signs because they can't believe there is a coffee place named after such a slur. | ||
Kslice Member Username: Kslice Post Number: 154 Registered: 04-2007 |
Ever watch mind of Mencia? I don't but I know he uses the term Beaner all the time for Mexicans. I heard this story a while ago. They tried to move down south but all the Mexicans were in an uproar. Political correctness run amok. | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 3277 Registered: 12-2005 |
I don't think I'd ever heard the term used in Phoenix but then I didn't hang out with the kind of people who would use such terms. I do recall hearing it used by Cheech & Chong though. You would think they would have routinely caught this before naming the place, which brings to mind the urban legend about Coca Cola's Bite the Wax Tadpole.  | ||
Lefty2 Member Username: Lefty2 Post Number: 138 Registered: 07-2007 |
i was actually thinking about this two days ago when i bought a cupojoe, it would be hard to expand in KaliFornIa Spic & Span. Again, a nice way to have the Hispanic community all up in your s t. | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 5354 Registered: 08-2004 |
Yeah, and on TV in the 60's they should never have named that town next to Pixley.... Hooterville! And by the same token I wonder how many folks were aghast in the 1950's when June Cleaver uttered those shocking words... "Ward weren't you a little hard on the Beaver last night?" | ||
Goose Member Username: Goose Post Number: 44 Registered: 02-2005 |
Beaners = Bean Eaters???? since when did it become a bad to be a bean eater??? | ||
Smogboy Member Username: Smogboy Post Number: 5932 Registered: 11-2004 |
The eating of beans is fine. What comes forth (literally) afterwards can be offensive. Someone queue up that scene from "Blazing Saddles" please. | ||
Digitalvision Member Username: Digitalvision Post Number: 383 Registered: 11-2003 |
Hilarious - a fellow forumer and I were talking about this same subject last week. Smart move. | ||
Fury13 Member Username: Fury13 Post Number: 2341 Registered: 10-2003 |
I just know that I wouldn't want to be called a "biggby." | ||
Irish_mafia Member Username: Irish_mafia Post Number: 1036 Registered: 10-2003 |
http://whiteysbarandgrillia.sa msbiz.com/ | ||
Irish_mafia Member Username: Irish_mafia Post Number: 1037 Registered: 10-2003 |
http://www.littlekraut.com/acc laim.html | ||
Waz Member Username: Waz Post Number: 199 Registered: 11-2006 |
Kind of awkward for the Biggby/Beaners company in that they're currently opening a location on Woodward south of 13 Mile. I don't believe they have any permanent signage up yet, though. This reminds me of the story (not sure whether it's true or not)of why Chevy had such a hard time selling the Nova in Mexico until they realized it loosely translated into Spanish as "Won't go". | ||
Professorscott Member Username: Professorscott Post Number: 750 Registered: 12-2006 |
Not loosely; put a space in and it's exact. "No va" in Spanish is a sentence, the precise meaning of which is "It doesn't go", which actually turned out to be a pretty good description of that car. I'm not hispanic at all, but I knew the first time I saw a "Beaner's" that it was a stupid name. Never mind there's another innocuous coffee-related meaning; it's still stupid. | ||
Shark Member Username: Shark Post Number: 286 Registered: 12-2003 |
http://www.snopes.com/business /misxlate/nova.asp | ||
Waz Member Username: Waz Post Number: 201 Registered: 11-2006 |
Thanks, Shark. I always approached the Nova story with a bit of suspicion. | ||
Lefty2 Member Username: Lefty2 Post Number: 151 Registered: 07-2007 |
That is a bad mane. If I had a Franchise and they told me they were changing the name to Biggby's; I would sue to get my money back knowing I would lose at least 10+% of my business. | ||
Fury13 Member Username: Fury13 Post Number: 2379 Registered: 10-2003 |
Did they just pull "Biggby" out of a hat? I hope it has some significance. | ||
Thecarl Member Username: Thecarl Post Number: 1040 Registered: 04-2005 |
quote: drove by the beaner's in r.o. tonight. they *do* have "permanent" signage. oops!!! also, the buick lacrosse has a different nameplate in canada...it's the "allure." gm execs figured out a little too late that "lacrosse" is canadian slang for, um, "self-love." let's just hope "biggby" isn't a derogatory term for someone with a bariatric disorder. | ||
Civilprotectionunit4346 Member Username: Civilprotectionunit4346 Post Number: 505 Registered: 06-2007 |
We should rename T.G.I.F. to H.S.I.O.W(Holy Sh-- it's only wednsday)...Make people drink alot more thinking it was wednsday. | ||
Yvette248 Member Username: Yvette248 Post Number: 944 Registered: 10-2006 |
I really think the worst part was the decision to rename the store Biggby's. What in the hell is that? I wouldn't go there simply because I wouldn't know what in the hell they were selling. Coffee Beanery for me. | ||
Nyct Member Username: Nyct Post Number: 72 Registered: 01-2007 |
stuff like this happens all the time. burger king was originally known as "i hate mexicans" before they realized the name was bad for business ... and look what they've become now. | ||
Thejesus Member Username: Thejesus Post Number: 2139 Registered: 06-2006 |
"I really think the worst part was the decision to rename the store Biggby's. What in the hell is that? I wouldn't go there simply because I wouldn't know what in the hell they were selling." Starbucks didn't seem to have that problem... | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 2513 Registered: 10-2003 |
http://www.imdiversity.com/Vil lages/Asian/civil_human_equal_ rights/archives/aoyagi_chinks_ steaks_philadelphia.asp "When Susannah Park, 21, first learned there was a restaurant in Philadelphia called "Chink’s Steaks" she thought her friend was joking around with her. Unfortunately her friend was serious. Established in 1949, "Chink’s Steaks" is a popular eatery famous for its cheesesteaks right in the small Philadelphia town of Wissinoming." | ||
Rb336 Member Username: Rb336 Post Number: 2312 Registered: 02-2007 |
more: "Groh took over the business in 1999 after working at the restaurant for 25 years, ever since he was 16 years old. The restaurant was voted Best of Philly for cheese steaks by Philly Magazine in 2002 and was a winner in the 2003 Best of Citysearch Philadelphia. Groh bought the business from its founder, the late Samuel Sherman whose nickname was "Chink."" Beaner's reminds me of Cheech and Chong | ||
Gazhekwe Member Username: Gazhekwe Post Number: 532 Registered: 08-2007 |
Yep, there is a place in the Wisconsin Dells called Nig's Bar, since 1947. Not to mention all the squaw places. As for Biggby's I heard it pronounced like 'the Big B's.' | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 2514 Registered: 10-2003 |
 Tasty asian snack. | ||
Treelock Member Username: Treelock Post Number: 219 Registered: 03-2005 |
Biggby Coffee — ugh. This could prove a Herculean rebranding effort. Guess there were no more available patents for coffee shops that want to use some kind of "Bean" derivative. | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 3294 Registered: 12-2005 |
 A sweet little Japanese lady gave me a jar of this. It's pretty good stuff. | ||
Zephyrprocess Member Username: Zephyrprocess Post Number: 464 Registered: 08-2006 |
quote: http://www.answers.com/topic/b eaners-gourmet-coffee-logo-jpg | ||
Arc312 Member Username: Arc312 Post Number: 46 Registered: 01-2006 |
just as we still sometimes call macy's hudson, I will continue to call beaners...beaners. "Biggby's" does not have enough vowels and it is much more dificult to pronounce it than "beaners". beaners flows off the top of my tounge much better. ugh. | ||
Newport1128 Member Username: Newport1128 Post Number: 131 Registered: 05-2007 |
I can't believe that White Castle hasn't come under attack from the PC crowd. They could always change their name to "Sliders'R'Us". Back in the early 60's White Tower (another politically incorrect name) had a burger called the "Big Whitey". | ||
Scottr Member Username: Scottr Post Number: 765 Registered: 07-2006 |
quote:what i never understood is why they never used similar reasoning to rename Hummer. I agree with Arc312, 'Biggby's' just does not flow right. I understand why they're changing the name, just not why they chose that as the replacement. | ||
Larryinflorida Member Username: Larryinflorida Post Number: 1036 Registered: 02-2007 |
I think all the non-goofy names have been taken. That one is goofy, for sure. Beaners is a well established slur in the south and southwest. I was always wondering when they would catch hell. | ||
Dabirch Member Username: Dabirch Post Number: 2414 Registered: 06-2004 |
Nyct -- some delayed kudos for that one. |
